Crime and Law Enforcement

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. A Dictionary of World History Further reading

Black Hand

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Black Hand symbol and name for a criminal and terroristic secret society, and especially associated with the Mafia and the Camorra . The Black Hand flourished in Sicily in the late 19th cent., and in the United States it was especially active in New York City at the beginning of the 20th cent. It is estimated that at one time 90% of New York City's Italian population was blackmailed by letters threatening death and marked with a black hand. Famous incidents associated with the Black Hand include the murder (1890) in New Orleans of chief of police Daniel Hennessy and the shooting (1909), in Palermo, Italy, of Lt. Joseph Petrosino of the New York City police.

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Black Hand

A Dictionary of World History | 2000 | Copyright

Black Hand Symbol and name for a number of secret societies that flourished in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was the name adopted by a Serbian terrorist organization, founded in 1911 by Colonel Dimitrijevic largely from army officers, to liberate Serbs still under Habsburg or Turkish rule. It organized the assassination at Sarajevo of Archduke FRANCIS FERDINAND (1914), an event that contributed to the outbreak of World War I. The name and symbol were adopted by organizations controlled by the MAFIA in the USA and Italy, which used intimidation and murder to gain their ends.

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"Black Hand." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Black Hand." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-BlackHand.html

"Black Hand." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-BlackHand.html

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